Hello. I'm going to do a manual reinstall of windows xp on my Dell Vostro 200. I wanted to know at what point should I install my virus protection. Should I install the virus protection after installing the os or after I install the drivers?

Hi, friend,
You will 1st have to reinstall Windows XP, then install the drivers and then install your antivirus and the other softwares
On a Dell computer, there are 2 ways of taking your computer back to factory settings :-
1. PC Restore (may not be possible if the PC Restore partition has been deleted)
2. Manual Reinstallation
In both cases, there will be data loss, so I hope you have been backing up data on a regular basis.
Firstly, disconnect all externel devices, except keyboard, mouse & monitor.
PC RESTORE (Windows XP)
a. Turn on the computer.
b. When the Dell splash screen appears during the computer startup process, press and hold and then press . Then, release both keys at the same time.
c. In the Dell PC Restore by Symantec window, click Restore. Alternatively, press to highlight Restore, and then press .
d. When a warning message appears stating that all data will be lost, click Confirm, or press to highlight Confirm and then press .
The Progress window will appear. Once the restore process starts, Dell PC Restore by Symantec usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes to finish.
When the restore process is complete, the following message will appear:
The system recovery process was successful.
e. Click Finish or press to highlight Finish and then press to restart the computer.
The software is now installed as it was when the computer was first received.
MANUALLY REINSTALL Windows XP
a. Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD drive, and then restart your computer. If the message Press any key to boot from the CD... appears, press a key to continue booting to the CD.
b. In the Windows XP Setup screen, press to set up Windows XP.
c. In the Windows XP Licensing Agreement, read the license agreement, and then press to scroll through the agreement.
d. Press to accept the terms and conditions specified in the license agreement. The partition screen is displayed. depending on your computer configuration, the partitions listed may include a PC Restore partition (2.7 to 4.75 GB) or a MediaDirect (1.2 GB) partition.
e. Highlight the largest partition and press .
If you are prompted to format the partition, use the up or down arrow keys to highlight Format the partition using the NTFS file system (Quick). Press or , if applicable, to format the partition. In cases where the drive must be checked for errors, select the Format the partition using the NTFS file system option.
Setup will format the drive, if necessary, then copy the files needed for installation. This process can take several minutes. Once done, Windows will restart the computer to continue Setup from the hard drive.
Note : When computer reboots, do not press any keys if the message Press any key to boot from the CD appears. The amount of time it takes to complete the above process varies, depending on the speed and size of the computer.
f. After the computer restarts, Setup continues with a graphical user interface (GUI) in the classic Windows theme. In this stage, you are asked to input information to personalize your installation. Your screen may blink several times during this process, which is normal. The information to input, and the order is self explanatory.
g. Then you will see : Setup will finalize the installation and should complete within 30 minutes of this point. Once complete, the computer will restart. Note : When computer reboots, do not press any keys if the message Press any key to boot from the CD appears.
h. After the computer reboots, the newly installed operating system Windows XP now starts for the first time and is ready for driver installation.
i. The drivers for your Dell computer can be installed from the ResourceCD/DVD or from the Dell Drivers and Downloads page.
For Dell Vostro 200, refer to foll. link for it's drivers Make sure you select Windows XP on this webpage :-
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?os=WW1&catid=-1&dateid=-1&impid=-1&osl=EN&typeid=-1&formatid=-1&servicetag=&SystemID=VOS_D_200&hidos=WLH&hidlang=en&TabIndex=&scanSupported=True&scanConsent=False
j. Then, you must 1st install your AntiVirus and other softwares.

You should install the driver for the network first ..so to be able to install the antivirus ..cause most of them need internet connection for a complete and correct install...and after that the first thing is to install the protection cause during the installing of any program the computer communicate with the net and you are in danger ..so ...in principle you should install the protection first ..but this is not possible unless you have a on board lan card that installs itself from windows..
after you make the internet communication ..first thing is to protect yourself..